Field
The present disclosure relates to a terminal controlling an audio output path and a method for controlling an audio output path between terminals, and more particularly, to a terminal controlling an audio output path and a method for controlling an audio output path between terminals which selectively control an audio output path between terminals connected to be communicable with each other to output an audio therein.
Discussion of Background
Recently, wireless communication technologies are widely used not only in a communication field but also in all the industry fields in accordance with the developments of communication technology. Accordingly, various services such as a voice phone call, data transmission, and Internet services are provided based on wireless networks. Representative wireless communication technologies that are based on such wireless communication networks include, for example, Bluetooth and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi). Particularly, wireless communication systems such as WiFi Display (WiDi) and other similar systems that allow terminal data to be shared have developed. The WiDi communication system is a technology enabling a source device to transmit video data and audio data to a sink device and has an advantage of allowing a motion picture reproduced by a smartphone to be viewable through a television set.
An audio output structure generated through a plurality of contents in terminals according to conventional WiDi communication technology is described below.
Referring to FIG. 1, when a plurality of applications 11, 12, and 13 are simultaneously executed, audio data relating to contents provided by the applications 11, 12, and 13 have mutually-different forms. Such audio data is supplied to an audio data acquiring unit 30.
An audio output path setting unit 20 sets a path in which such audio data is output in advance. For example, if a music player application is to be executed, audio data relating to music is preset to be output to a speaker by the audio output path setting unit 20.
The audio data is then decoded and mixed through an audio mixer 40 to be converted into an audio. An audio driver 50 transmits the audio in the audio output path determined by the audio output path setting unit 20.
However, even when first, second, and third terminals 61, 62, and 63 are set as output terminals, the audio output path setting unit 20 sets the output path so that all audios are output only through one output path that is currently connected. For example, in a case where a smartphone is connected to a television set through WiDi, and a motion picture stored in the smartphone is viewed through the television set, the audio of the motion picture output from the smartphone is output through a speaker of the television set. At this time, even if the user wants to listen to music through the smartphone, the music is output through the speaker of the television set. Accordingly, only an audio that is output last may be reproduced, or two or more audios may be output while being mixed with each other. In other words, according to a conventional technology, even when several terminals capable of outputting audio are connected to each other, different audios are set to be output through only one path, which creates difficulty for a user to simultaneously listen to a plurality of audios.